Mechoopda tribe gets green light for casinoAfter many years of appeals and legal battles, the Mechoopda Tribe got the green light to build a casino south of Chico, in that big, open field east of highways 149 & 99. Butte County supervisor Steve Lambert says the tribe members are great people and they've been great to work with, but most of the supervisors have concerns about seeing a casino there.
Posted by AJ Abell on Monday, April 16, 2018
The Mechoopda Tribe plans to move forward with a long-delayed casino in California after securing victory in court.
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday backed the tribe's land-into-trust application. In a press release quoted by The Chico Enterprise-Record, Chairman Dennis Ramirez said the unanimous decision recognizes the tribe's connections to the 645-acre site in Butte County. "The Mechoopda Indian Tribe looks forward to advancing our proposed casino project," Ramirez said. "In doing so, we plan to drive economic development in Butte County for years to come.” But the county doesn't appear to be accepting defeat easily. Supervisor Steve Lambert told Action News Now that the casino will bring problems to the area. “As far as the county side, I don't see any upside to it,” Lambert told the station. The Bureau of Indian Affairs placed the land in trust for the tribe in February 2014. The agency had arrived at the same decision in May 2008, during the Bush administration, but litigation required another look at the application. Read More on the Story: